All posts by Jacque Ryan

The cumulative railroad revenue fund was established through an ordinance passed by the North Judson Town Council at their last meeting in September. The ordinance was passed in order to switch over the $94,820.19 in the previous railroad fund to the newly established account.

Clerk-Treasurer Alicia Collins alerted the council Monday night that the State Board of Accounts said she needed council approval before any funds could be transferred.

She informed them that the old railroad fund, as well as their credit card is currently at First Farmers Bank and Trust, while their general account is at First National Bank of Monterey. She asked the council whether they wished to move all the money in the old rail road account over to the First National Bank of Monterey or if they wanted to close out the old railroad account and start the cumulative railroad revenue fund at First Farmers Bank and Trust. Continue reading →

After learning that the Town of Winamac did not receive the DNR’s Federal Land and Waterways Conservation Fund grant, Winamac Town Council members now have to consider whether or not to move forward with plans to construct a community pool. A special session was scheduled for tonight, in order to ensure that all five council members and the clerk-treasurer will be in attendance.

The special session had to be held today because not all council members will be at the regular meeting on October 16th. It is crucial that all council members are present so they’re able to contribute to the discussion and decisions that will be made regarding parks department funds and plans to build the public pool.

The Winamac Town Council special meeting will commence at 5:30 p.m. EDT in the Winamac Utilities Complex.

Culver Community School Corporation is currently in the process of installing a new sign that better represents the school corporation. Back in September, the Culver Community School Board discussed the design of the sign.

At the Culver Town Council meeting last Wednesday, Superintendent Karen Shuman alerted the board that the old sign was taken down that day and they are planning to have the new one up within the next week. Continue reading →

Starke Hospital will have mobile health units out in a few places in the Starke County community during the month of October. Starke Hospital’s Regional Manager of Community Relations Stacey Kellogg said that wellness professionals will be onsite to help disburse breast cancer awareness information.

Kellogg said the professionals will be able to steer people in the right direction when it comes to how and when individuals should be screened and other helpful health tips. She said they will have information there about early detection practices, clinical breast exams, how to do a self breast exam, when everybody should get screened and how to have that conversation with your doctor. Continue reading →

A caucus has been scheduled to find a replacement for the clerk-treasurer position in the Town of North Judson. The current clerk-treasurer, Alicia Collins, submitted her resignation to the North Judson Town Council yesterday at their first meeting in October.

During the clerk-treasurer’s report Collins stated she would be leaving the office in good standing, with the 2018 budget pending approval and all other records and filing up to date. Her final day will be October 20th and she said she will make her self available for training during the transition period. Continue reading →

You may have noticed that gas prices have recently gone down. Though that is partially due to certain areas finally regaining stability after the recent natural disasters, it also has to do with the annual switch from summer fuel to winter fuel. Senior Petroleum Analyst for Gas Buddy, Dan McTeague said that prices in Indiana have dropped on average around 15 cents from last month, when there was still speculation and concern over the amount of refineries damaged.

Though we may be experiencing lower gas prices than a month ago, compared to this time of year in 2016, we’re paying approximately twenty more cents. McTeague said there a few factors responsible for that difference. Continue reading →

Seventeen years ago, the Knox community collectively grieved the loss of Cheryl Lyn Welter, a dedicated and involved senior at KHS who tragically lost her life in an automobile accident the day before Homecoming.

These days Cheryl is still making impacting the community by making a difference in the lives of underprivileged school children thanks to the efforts of her family. The Cheryl Lyn Welter Family Charitable Foundation was established back in March to raise money to assist local school children in grades K-12 with various expenses that are out of their reach.

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer found in women. They say 1 in 8 American women will have breast cancer at some point in their life. The good news is that when the cancer is detected early, it can be treated and the survival rate goes up substantially. In order to raise awareness about the importance of early detection and to promote mammograms and self-examinations, we recognize October as Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The Indiana Breast Cancer Awareness Trust is a not-for-profit organization that improves access to breast cancer screenings and diagnosis and support services while also increasing awareness. One of the ways they accomplish all of that is by selling Breast Cancer Awareness specialty license plates through the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. A $25 donation is generated through every license plate sold. Since the plate was introduced in 2002, tens of thousands of Hoosier women have received screening, diagnostic and support services with nearly $4 million being awarded through their competitive grants.

Regional manager of community relations for Starke Hospital Stacey Kellog says that through grant funds provided by IBCAT, the hospital is able to offer free screening mammogram vouchers this year. Continue reading →

Culver Town Manger Jonathan Leist informed the board last week that the town is one of the few communities in the area who received all the Community Crossings grant funds they requested this year. He said the $206,000 received will go a long way to assist with projects they have in the works.

Leist mentioned that work on College Avenue, parts of Jefferson Street and the entrance at the Sand Hill Farm are the three priority projects. He told council members that in their grant proposal they utilized estimates that came from E&B paving. However, since those numbers were calculated several months ago, Utility Superintendent Bob Porter is looking into quotes. Leist said he is expected to present those quotes at the next town council meeting. Continue reading →

Mayor Dennis Estok has been discussing the possibility of replacing the lights in the downtown area during the last few Knox City Council meetings. They have been experimenting with a new kind of bulb. When they first met in September, he suggested that the council members take a little time after the meeting was adjourned to see the change and provide their input.

At their meeting last Tuesday, Mayor Estok said the experiment bulb was moved from its initial placement due to an obstruction from a near by tree. However, even with the tree covering the original spot, many council members said they could see a definite difference in brightness. Continue reading →

The North Judson Town Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing for their proposed 2018 Budget when members meet tonight at 6:30 p.m. According to Indiana Gateway, the budget estimate submitted for the general fund is $728,584, while the total estimated budget amounts to $983,546.

The meeting agenda states that council members will discuss the railroad bank account that was established during a meeting in September. At that meeting, they passed an ordinance designating an account where all funds railroad related would go. That includes money set aside for renovations as well as revenue received from the railroad company. Continue reading →

The Indiana State Police District #13 All Crimes Policing Team joined forces with the Medaryville PD, Francesville PD and the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department for the second time to conduct a multi-agency law enforcement blitz in Pulaski County on Friday. The 8-hour enforcement resulted in 1-felony arrest, 2-drug related arrests, 8-criminal arrests, 13-traffic citations and 84-warnings given.

According to an ISP press release, the Indiana State Police District #13 ACP Team is a group of State Troopers who work in several counties including Pulaski, Starke and La Porte to deter violent crime and address drug related activity. The additional manpower and resource support provided helps local agencies address specific crime trends within local communities to make the area as safe as possible. Continue reading →

Porter-Starke Services, the local not-for-profit community mental health center, has a mission to enhance the quality of life in our community through prevention, treatment, education and research. The organization presents the Service to Community Mental Health Award to individuals in the area who are contributing to that mission.

The Starke County Sheriff’s Office recently won the award for their work with inmates. Sheriff Bill Dulin described receiving the recognition as a huge testament to the hard work the jail and Starke County Staff does on a daily basis that sometimes goes unnoticed. Continue reading →

A committee meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4 at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center. During a Knox City Council meeting Tuesday evening, Mayor Dennis Estok reminded council members that the focus would be on some past and future projects.

Estok said the committee will discuss the financial results of this year’s fireworks display as well as address the upcoming Peppermint Parade. Estok said the parade applications have already been submitted for the event. Continue reading →

A public hearing was held over the proposed 2018 Budget at a Culver Town Council meeting on Wednesday. Council President Ginny Bess Munroe acknowledged that the council held a number of work sessions and departmental meetings over the budget. She handed things over to Clerk-Treasurer Karen Heim who provided a basic synopsis of the budget to the public.

Heim said the proposed general fund is at $1,840,530 and the expected income is set at $1,815,437. She continued that with the proposed tax caps coming in at $29,135 that leaves a deficit of $54,228. She advised that she low-balled the income and the difference will not be as substantial. Continue reading →

The Knox Police Department has been seeking funds for taser replacement. At the Knox City Council meeting on Tuesday, Mayor Dennis Estok announced that the goal of $6,000 has nearly been reached.

Police Chief Harold Smith has said in the past that the tasers that are currently available to the department are more than 14 years old and in a state beyond repair. Due to budget restrictions, the Knox PD asked for community assistance to replace the tasers. They had a crowd-funding account where people could donate online and they also received check and cash donations. Continue reading →

Town administrators and community members in Culver have been preparing for the upcoming Stellar Communities Designation Program site visit. On Wednesday evening, the Culver Town Council received an update about what has happened so far and what is yet to come.

Culver is one of three finalists in District 2 of the program, competing to be designated as a Stellar Community. In an effort to ensure they are aptly prepared, the Stellar Committee has been meeting on Tuesdays during the month of September. The night before the town council meeting, the committee met and did a practice run for the site visit. Continue reading →

The 2018 fire protection agreements between the City of Knox and Center and Jackson Townships were up for approval at the Knox City Council meeting Tuesday evening.

Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston stated that the proposed agreements are essentially the same as past years except they did one year rather than two year agreements this year. He said that decision was made because an election will be coming up and incoming groups can not be legally bound to an agreement. Continue reading →

An area in Culver known commonly as “Sand Hill Farms” located at 540 W Jefferson Street received economic revitalization area and economic target area status as a result of a resolution passed by the Culver City Council Wednesday night.

Town Manager Jonathan Leist explained that the recently created Culver Economic Development Commission is permitted to grant tax abatement for residential property under state law. Earlier this week, the Culver EDC met for the first time and passed a resolution recommending that the city council classify this entire parcel on Jefferson Street as both an economic revitalization area and an economic target area to allow for future residential tax abatement.

The Indiana Office of Energy Development recently announced that they are accepting applications from public school corporations for the Indiana Propane School Bus grant program. Their announcement marks the third round of grant funding made available by the OED dedicated to propane school buses.

According to OED Director Tristan Vance, propane school buses offer a variety of benefits such as increasing fuel diversity, lowering maintenance costs through the use of a cleaner burning fuel and most importantly, decreasing student exposure to harmful emissions. Continue reading →